In Episode 6 of Retropower’s Gordon Murray Mk1 build, the outer panels go on and the car starts to look like a car again. Inside, the team builds a new structural dash. At the back, the independent rear suspension (IRS) comes together in mock-up form.
Video: Retropower on YouTube · watch “Gordon Murray's MK1 Escort - Retropower Build Episode 6” on YouTube
What happens in Episode 6
Front panel and carbon bonnet (0:00). The oil-cooler metalwork is finished, and the slam panel has been reshaped around the radiator. A standard replacement front panel fitted reasonably well. The carbon bonnet arrived at the same time. Because a composite panel can’t be reshaped, the steel parts are fitted to it, not the other way round. Bonnets like this are sold for motorsport use with pins, so there was no hardware for the original catches. Retropower threaded a steel plate with welded nuts through a small slot and bonded it inside for the striker and safety catch. It clears the cam cover, just.
Wings (2:28). The pattern wings were out of shape. The team unfolded the rear edge, added about 5 mm, refolded it, and reprofiled each wing to match the bonnet. A spot-welded piece where the wing meets the front panel was in the wrong place, so it was moved.
Doors (5:24). The plan had been aluminium door skins. Lead times kept growing, and Retropower saw some aluminium skins that weren’t very straight. They worried the filler needed to get them ripple-free would make them heavier than steel, and there was also the risk of corrosion where aluminium meets steel. So they chose good-quality pressed steel skins. The hinges were rebuilt with new pins, and the hidden parts of the frames and new skins were epoxy-primed before the skins were bonded and folded on.
Dashboard (8:08). The lower dash is scratch-built: deeper and more vertical. There are three reasons. It keeps the new instrument panel in proportion. It gives a structural mount for a steering column that sits about three inches lower than standard to suit Gordon’s driving position. And it hides the revised heater box. A 38 mm tube, roll-cage style, runs behind it from pillar to pillar, with the column mounted straight onto it. The bead around the edge copies the original pressing, formed with a homemade tool on a Pullmax machine. Two extra vents go on each side.
Interior parts (12:10). The column is from an Opel Manta. Its size was almost perfect, and it has a collapsible section for crash safety. The pedals are angled to the right to make room for a clutch footrest. The seat brackets are finished. A new crossmember structure over the tunnel carries the gearbox mount. A pressed bulkhead panel behind the seats adds strength and stops luggage flying forward under braking.
Rear suspension (15:44). The machined aluminium carrier lined up perfectly in a bench mock-up. A bent “moustache bar” holds the front subframe pick-ups. The struts are Land Rover Freelander rear units with the bottom section removed, so they’re easy to replace. Pucks in the upright give about 2.5° of camber adjustment either way, and coilovers set the ride height. Alignment uses aluminium bushes 2 mm wider than the final polyurethane ones, with stainless shims for fine-tuning. The boot floor needs modifying for clearance. The aim is a ride more refined than a live axle’s, without much extra weight.
Why so little filming (22:07). Retropower is a business and funds the videos itself. Every step is photographed on the project’s Facebook page, “Gordon’s Mk1”.
Parts, tools and suppliers mentioned
- Carbon bonnet with bonded steel catch plate, plus replacement front panel and wings
- Pressed steel door skins (aluminium rejected) and epoxy primer
- 38 mm tube dash structure, with a Pullmax used for the bead
- Opel Manta collapsible steering column
- Land Rover Freelander rear struts, camber pucks, coilovers, polyurethane bushes
Lessons for your own Mk1
- Fit steel to composite. You can reshape steel, but not carbon.
- Lighter on paper isn’t always lighter. Filler on wavy aluminium can cancel out the saving.
- Primer goes in the hidden areas before the skins go on.
- Mount the steering column on structure, not a bracket hanging off the dash.
- Check that the IRS clears the floor and exhaust before the shell is painted.
Mk1 context
The Mk1 left the factory with a leaf-sprung live axle, so strut-type IRS is a big departure from the original. Swapping in the Manta column gives the car a collapsible section, which the team prefers for crash safety.
Related
- Series hub: all Retropower Gordon Murray Mk1 episodes
- Background: the complete history of the Mk1 Ford Escort
- More builds on video: Mk1 Escort build videos